Thursday, February 28, 2013

With the city’s political establishment lined up behind pushing the Warriors’ arena plans at Piers 30-32, the biggest perceived obstacles are passing muster with a couple of state agencies entrusted with protecting against environmental degradation of San Francisco Bay. Which helps explain a piece of legislation introduced by Assemblyman Phil Ting to accomplish what some environmentalists are calling an end run around the State Lands Commission and the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.

Under the bill favorable to the Warriors’ plans, the two agencies would still get to weigh in, but after the state Legislature had already essentially given its blessing to the 13-story, 17,500-seat arena to be built over the water. And it would give the Port of San Francisco, not exactly a disinterested party, authority to approve the deal as long as “certain conditions are met,” as the Chronicle puts it.